Ill Estes makes White Sox sick
CHICAGO -- Shawn Estes' stomach was churning before Monday's game, and it wasn't because of nerves.
The left-hander fought his way through a stomach bug and wound up making the White Sox ill as he pitched the Diamondbacks to an 8-1 win in front of 32,952 at U.S. Cellular Field.
"I was a little worried about it after the first inning," Estes said of his stomach. "But for some reason it kind of went away as the game went on. I didn't feel any stronger, but I didn't feel worse."
Estes scattered eight hits in picking up his first nine-inning complete game since Sept. 24, 2003. The lefty threw 118 pitches, a whopping 73 of which went for strikes.
"[He had] Great rhythm out there today and threw the ball as well as he has all year," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said.
Ironically, feeling a bit under the weather may have actually worked in Estes' favor.
"A lot of times I feel too strong and overthrow a bit," he said. "Those are sometimes your best games, because you go out there and you know you don't have a whole lot, but you have enough and your focus for some reason gets a little bit better and your concentration gets a little bit better."
The Diamondbacks offense helped Estes' concentration as well by jumping all over Chicago starter Jose Contreas.
Arizona managed a run in the first on Tony Clark's sacrifice fly, but missed a golden opportunity for more as it left two men on base.
"When you get an opportunity to put a crooked number and you don't, sometimes it works against you," Melvin said.
But not on this night.
The Diamondbacks picked up right where they left off in the second, as they hammered three homers and put up a six-spot to give Estes a 7-0 cushion. Chris Snyder, Luis Gonzalez and Troy Glaus hit the homers in the inning for Arizona, with Shawn Green adding one later.
With the early advantage, Estes was able to go after the opposition aggressively, relying on a two-seam fastball that moved down and away from an all right-handed-hitting lineup. Estes, who struck out five and did not allow a walk, only let one batter get past second base and that was Frank Thomas, who homered in the fourth for Chicago's lone run.
Shawn Estes / P
Born: 02/18/73
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: L
More info:
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"Tonight, I just trusted my defense, and the offense really picked us up tonight scoring seven early in the game," he said.
A big lead combined with not having to work out of a lot of jams allowed Estes to give the Diamondbacks the complete game, which gave a beleaguered bullpen a break.
"That was welcome for everyone here," Melvin said.
From behind the plate, Snyder said Estes didn't show any signs of being sick.
"I couldn't tell," he said. "I think he just might have told you guys that so the complete game looked that much better."
Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/
The left-hander fought his way through a stomach bug and wound up making the White Sox ill as he pitched the Diamondbacks to an 8-1 win in front of 32,952 at U.S. Cellular Field.
"I was a little worried about it after the first inning," Estes said of his stomach. "But for some reason it kind of went away as the game went on. I didn't feel any stronger, but I didn't feel worse."
Estes scattered eight hits in picking up his first nine-inning complete game since Sept. 24, 2003. The lefty threw 118 pitches, a whopping 73 of which went for strikes.
"[He had] Great rhythm out there today and threw the ball as well as he has all year," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said.
Ironically, feeling a bit under the weather may have actually worked in Estes' favor.
"A lot of times I feel too strong and overthrow a bit," he said. "Those are sometimes your best games, because you go out there and you know you don't have a whole lot, but you have enough and your focus for some reason gets a little bit better and your concentration gets a little bit better."
The Diamondbacks offense helped Estes' concentration as well by jumping all over Chicago starter Jose Contreas.
Arizona managed a run in the first on Tony Clark's sacrifice fly, but missed a golden opportunity for more as it left two men on base.
"When you get an opportunity to put a crooked number and you don't, sometimes it works against you," Melvin said.
But not on this night.
The Diamondbacks picked up right where they left off in the second, as they hammered three homers and put up a six-spot to give Estes a 7-0 cushion. Chris Snyder, Luis Gonzalez and Troy Glaus hit the homers in the inning for Arizona, with Shawn Green adding one later.
With the early advantage, Estes was able to go after the opposition aggressively, relying on a two-seam fastball that moved down and away from an all right-handed-hitting lineup. Estes, who struck out five and did not allow a walk, only let one batter get past second base and that was Frank Thomas, who homered in the fourth for Chicago's lone run.
Shawn Estes / P
Born: 02/18/73
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: L
More info:
Player page
Stats | Splits
Gallery
Team Site | Shop
"Tonight, I just trusted my defense, and the offense really picked us up tonight scoring seven early in the game," he said.
A big lead combined with not having to work out of a lot of jams allowed Estes to give the Diamondbacks the complete game, which gave a beleaguered bullpen a break.
"That was welcome for everyone here," Melvin said.
From behind the plate, Snyder said Estes didn't show any signs of being sick.
"I couldn't tell," he said. "I think he just might have told you guys that so the complete game looked that much better."
Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/
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